vs Philadelphia

In a move that surprised absolutely nobody who has spent the last thirty years nursing a bruised ego, the blue and white found a way to lose at home against a Philadelphia team that basically invited them to win. The opening period was a delightful mess of discipline issues as Easton Cowan, Nicolas Roy, and Brandon Carlo all took turns sitting in the box for various infractions. Somehow, Dakota Joshua managed to find the back of the net first with a wrist shot, only for the defense to immediately fall asleep and let Christian Dvorak tie it up on the power play. Philadelphia outshot the home team thirteen to six in that opening frame, making it clear that the guys were likely more interested in their post-game meal than playing actual hockey.

The second and third periods featured the usual brand of high-octane frustration. Auston Matthews decided to fire eight shots on goal without a single point to show for his efforts, which is a statistically impressive way to ruin a box score. After Noah Cates put the Flyers ahead late in the game, William Nylander decided to stop being a spectator and hammered home a power play goal to force the extra frame. Anthony Stolarz did everything humanly possible by stopping twenty-three of twenty-five shots, but a ninety-two percent save percentage is never enough when the skaters decide to treat the shootout like a mandatory corporate training seminar.

Once the game reached the skills competition, the script followed the traditional path of misery. Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov converted their chances while the home side looked lost. Losing in a shootout after outshooting the opponent in the second, third, and overtime periods is the most authentic experience a person can have in this city. It is a special kind of talent to dominate the puck for forty minutes and still walk away with nothing but a single point and a headache. At least the power play went one for three, so there is a tiny shred of progress to cling to before the inevitable collapse happens again.